Friday, November 07, 2003

Some veterans of Vietnam see Iraq parallel (11/7/03)

WASHINGTON — Iraq isn't Vietnam, not yet at least. But as criticism of the Bush administration's conduct of the war there intensifies, a number of prominent Vietnam War veterans say they are frequently reminded of the way the White House fumbled away public support for the only major war the United States ever lost.Many who served in Vietnam — including members of Congress, former Pentagon officials and a small but influential group of retired generals — have begun to say what those now in uniform cannot: The Bush administration, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in particular, have not leveled with the public about the difficulty of winning in Iraq.